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Ultima Underworld II Nitpicks
Ultima Underworld II continues the Guardian storyline and shows us worlds he already conquered. There’s a brilliant atmosphere in Lord British’s castle. The 3D engine isn’t used for its own sake in the second part of the Underworld series either, but is merely the stage for a great plot, many dialogues, and many references to Ultima VII. Ignorance of Predecessors Black Sword Where the hell is the Black Sword? Being bound to it, the Avatar shouldn’t be able to drop it or leave it anywhere else; thus he should have it at the castle with him.Originally submitted by Tribun Dragon) Rudyom's Wand What happened to Rudyom’s wand, which destroyed Blackrock in Ultima VII? Firing like mad on the Blackrock Dome would be too dangerous, of course, but Nystul could certainly put it to some good use. At the very least, they should mention the wand. (“Hey Iolo, why don’t we blast the dome away with Rudyom’s wand?” - “That’d be too dangerous.” - “OK.”) Moonstone In the castle’s cellars, you’ll find a moonstone. Where does it come from? Are there even more than 8 moonstones in Britannia? What’s really odd is that you can cast the “Gate Travel” spell on it to create a moongate, despite the fact that the Guardian destroyed all moongates in Ultima VII. How comes the spell still works? Goblins Why does everyone act as if Goblins had always been native to Britannia? Did you ever see a Goblin in Ultima IV-VII? Guardian's Hold Over Ethereal Plane It never is really revealed how the Guardian controls this ethereal plane (or why he just doesn’t grab the Avatar from here like he does at the end of Serpent Isle).Originally submitted by Crowley) Technical Shortcomings Avatar's Possessions Why has the Avatar lost all of his strength and experience from Ultima VII? The excuse that the Avatar loses these abilities when he traverses worlds doesn’t work this time, because the Avatar’s been in Britannia since Ultima VII. (He should have played more sports.) Guardian's Speech The Guardian suddenly uses Elizabethan English (or rather Ultima English) in Underworld II. Did he take Shakespeare classes?Originally submitted by Tailrace Dragon) Magic in the Castle Isn’t it very odd that magic still works at all in Castle British? Didn't we learn that Blackrock blocks ethereal waves in Ultima VII? Well, the castle is surrounded by a whole sphere of Blackrock... (Note that Gazers don’t seem to have any problems with magic, either. Weapons that fire spells work, too.) Windows Why the heck are there no windows in Castle British, Killorn Keep, and the Prison Tower? (Oh yeah, nasty engine limitations... On the other hand, closed windows with no way of looking outside shouldn’t have been a problem at all.)Originally submitted by Hacki Dragon) Sewer Water Why does the water in the sewers continue to flow all through the game? Surely there’s not that much, um, output from the Castle? Then again... Look at all those bottles in the corner of Dupre’s room. Growing Mold Apparently, throwing food at walls can accelerate the growth of mold. Test it yourself in the sewers. Upon throwing one piece of stale cheese against the wall and 'looking' at it again, it suddenly becomes moldy. Upon throwing it once again against the wall, the unfortunate piece of cheese is reduced to a pile of debris. This is probably just one of the status indicators (not unlike for weapons, which have condition states and may become damaged when you hurl them at walls) relevant to food, but still, it’s amusing that throwing cheese at walls can incite such rapid mold growth. Perhaps it’s because the sewer walls are coated with slime and mold themselves.Originally submitted by Blue Claw) Lord British's Throne Why does Lord British’s throne room not have a throne in it (though it mysteriously reappears in the ending)? Don’t claim technical limitations. The game already has chairs, and they could have made a throne with four rectangular blocks. Did they think it would look silly that Lord British never sits on his throne? (A throne room without said throne looks much sillier, that’s for sure.) Be Sure to Bundle Up! As everyone probably knows, in Serpent Isle the Avatar & co. will need fur clothing to keep warm up north. However, in Underworld II the Avatar can leisurely stroll around in icy caves and swim in waters that are probably near freezing point, wearing almost nothing or full steel armor, without suffering any ill effects from the coldness. Drinking Water It seems odd that even though it is necessary to eat, it is never necessary to drink anything. Months of game time can pass but the Avatar will never die of dehydration. General Problems Blackrock Damage We know that Blackrock is a heavy substance. Wouldn’t the castle suffer damage when the Blackrock shards fall on it?Originally submitted by Hyena of Ice) Fellowship Gathering According to Fissif, former Fellowship members are gathering on Buccaneer’s Den and apparently planning something suspicious. At the end, this plot thread is ignored and will never be finished.Originally submitted by Evil_Freak Dragon) Who Cast the Spell? Who cast the spell to create the Blackrock Dome around Castle Britannia? It wasn’t the Guardian, since according to Nystul and Nell, the spell was cast from within the throne room. It couldn’t have been Mors Gotha (though Nystul does say that it was cast from Mors’ Gotha’s spellbook), since Nell said she heard a man’s voice. Was it Patterson? Since when can he cast spells? Horn of Praecor Loth When the Avatar blows the Horn of Praecor Loth, shouldn’t the sheer amplitude of the sound (which is more than enough to achieve resonance in the blackrock dome and shatter it as a result) be enough to render all people in the castle deaf? Scintillus Academy's Reputation Why do they know about Scintillus Academy in the Pits of Carnage? I thought the different worlds were separated from each other. Scintillus' Grades Isn’t it very strange that they have the same school marks as on Earth in Scintillus Academy? (A-F) Blackrock Walls I don’t get it: Why do people in the other worlds not flee from the Guardian by joining the Avatar through the Blackrock walls? Where do those Blackrock walls come from anyway? Why does nobody except of the Avatar use them? Evil Villain Paralysis Syndrome You have to wonder why the Guardian, who is aware of all actions of the Avatar, just watches him getting all blackrock stones, weakening the large crystal. Why didn’t he have some of his men chase him, in order to stop him early on? (Same syndrome as in Ascension...) To Exit the Prison Tower When talking to the guards of the Prison Tower on the 2nd floor, one of them will tell you that you cannot leave without getting permission from the Captain. When you speak to the Captain, no dialogue appears on this subject whatsoever. Could we at least have a feasible explanation as to why you can't leave the tower? (Korianous) The Floating Keep It's never explained how anyone gets in or out of Killorn Keep. The keep is floating in the air, and there is no entrance.(Korianous) References and original contributors to Hacki's page External links * Hacki's Ultima Nitpicks - hosted by Bootstrike Ultima Underworld II Nitpicks